Thursday, December 30, 2010

Welcome to Windhoek!

After about 20 hours of traveling, we arrived safely in Windhoek (pronounced "vin-took"), Namibia late last night. The flights were long but presented a great opportunity to bond with the 11 other volunteers starting WorldTeach in Namibia this year. Most of us received our bags - untampered. It's been a busy past 24 hours, but I couldn't be happier to be back in Africa!

We will spend the next three weeks as a group doing orientation in Windhoek and Tsumeb before we head to our permanent sites. Tomorrow night (New Years Eve already?!) we will have a traditional Braai (Namibian barbecue). We're currently staying at a guest house in town and are lucky to have very comfortable beds, hot showers, and I've only seen one spider that was the size of my hand so far (the flat ones are fine, so I've heard).

I am blessed beyond measure to be surrounded by so many kind, ambitious, and passionate colleagues and welcoming field directors and can't wait to get to know Namibia and all the people better. Thank you for your prayers and support as I begin to adjust to life across the world!

Lastly, a few good things to know:
- right now, Namibia is 8 hours ahead of central time in the US. So, I'm posting at 6:30ish pm and you're reading it at 10:30ish am. 
- I will post my mailing address in a few weeks when I arrive at my school. Mail generally takes 2-4 weeks to get here. I've been told that the cheapest package option is to get an International Priority Mail box at the post office, pay the flat rate, and stuff it as full as you can.
- it you are interested in receiving my Namibian cell phone number or Skype name, email me and I'll send it to you.
- you can come visit anytime!!

Rejoicing in change!

2 comments:

  1. We're glad you (and your bags) made it. Enjoy your New Year's Eve Braai and let us know how it compares with a Nashville barbecue.

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  2. So glad you made it safely! Have a wonderful new years celebration! We will continue praying for you. And my word-you are stronger than I am-if I had seen a spider as big as my hand I think I would be on a plane back home! ;)

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